Sounds like lame journalism to me. Who cares about some disagreement over what a family looks like. Furthermore, why some idiot would open his mouth without giving what comes out of it some thought and how he is representing his company is beyond me. It seems to be happeing all the time. I like the product and will continue to buy it. All this over a translation from Italian to English......makes me wonder what is really behind the story.

Jenise wrote:Karen, that's just a blog, so journalistic standards aren't really an issue.

But anyway, I said "probably" because though I stand by my gay brother and friends, if Barilla's what's available and I need pasta, I'll buy it.

I I guess it depends on what you are blogging about. A food blog from a cute little gal who loves to cook at home is one thing, but there are different kinds of bloggers doing many sujects.They’re both there to produce content. Bloggers write because they want to. Journalists write to get paid, because it is their job. Blogging about a serious subject should not include sloppy or erroneous reporting. IMHO. How can one be taken seriously if their content is not creditable.

Here's a fun response to yesterday's uproar about tone-deaf anti-gay remarks from Guido Barilla, chair of the pasta company that bears his name. Pastafarian competitor Bertolli now comes out, so to speak, with this cute graphic of dancing pasta couples.

So, did the Flying Spaghetti Monster create Farfalle and Farfalle?

From AdWeek: Bertolli Germany quickly posted pro-gay imagery in its social feeds, happily taking advantage of its rival's misstep. "Love and pasta for all!" reads the caption on the Facebook photo above.

The company has already issued an apology saying they were sorry if "anybody had taken what was said in the wrong way". That's funny in itself. I've been keeping my carbs low if possible anyway. I can't for the life of me understand how anyone who is involved in a retail business of any kind can say anything so stupid. What's to be gained?

I can't for the life of me understand how anyone who is involved in a retail business of any kind can say anything so stupid. What's to be gained?

There is nothing to be gained and it was a bad choice he made. Something set him off about the subject. Barilla is a privately owned companay and he certainly has the right to do his advertising as he sees fit, and with what fits into his values and morals. However, some things are better left unsaid. This reminds me of all the kerfuffle over Paula Deen. Much ado about nothing. This will blow over in no time. Here are some interesting facts about Guido Barilla.[url]http://www.forbes.com/global/2002/1125/036.html[/url]

The thing that gets me is that this A-hole is a bundle of contradictions about the whole subject. He was quoted as saying he supports gay marriage but not gays adopting children. Okay...? And because he supports a "traditional view" of a family, he won't have gays in their advertizing. But supposedly he has nothing against gay people??? No one was forcing him to place an ad with a gay relationship in it. If he had just kept his mouth shut from the beginning, none of this would have happened. Maybe Chick-fil-A and Barilla should go into business together....

Not to pile on, but for some people it is a bit disingenuous to frame these issues as a matter of 'personal values' or 'opinions' as though there were a legitimate debate. This is not a question of the best approach to tax policy, protecting the environment, or government regulation of the housing market. On those points there are legitimately multiple sides and we can agree to disagree, and it doesn't seem realistic to expect everyone you do business with to perfectly line up with your ideological position.

My favorite pasta now is Rao's, which in California I can only find at our "gourmet" grocery store and it's pretty pricey. I was thrilled to find it in a "Christmas Tree Shoppe" near our house in Maine for $3.99 a pkg. For those of you not in the northeastern United States, a "Christmas Tree Shop" has not a thing to do with Christmas or trees (at least not this time of year), it's the most bizarre thing. It's kind of a discount store that sells everything from furniture to cleaning supplies, to dishes, to tacky home decor items. Kind of like a "Big Lots." Crazy.

Who needs Barilla? (I do like their whole grain, protein pasta, but I'm sure there are other brands that will fit the bill.)

Hello. My name is Carrie, and I...I....still like oaked Chardonnay. (Please don't judge.)

Speaking of whole grain pastas: We have started seeing improvements in this product. They used to be awful, both flavor and texture, but now some of them cook up very nicely. Top of my list is Bionaturae, followed by Luigi Vitelli and Hodgson Mill. We have tried but do not favor Barilla, De Cecco, and Ronzoni (although De Cecco's white flour pastas are good). I have not tried Setaro pasta yet... supposed to be best of all.